President`s Message - Fontana Teachers Association

Volume 35, Issue 3
October 2013
President’s Message
Update
This week I had the opportunity to meet
with the Common Core work group. I was
pleased to see that every site was represented as well as FTA and the district. The group
is working hard to select essential standards,
develop sample lesson plans, adjust pacing
guides and make necessary changes to report cards as we move into the implementation of Common Core. This is a difficult
job and I want to express my appreciation
to those teachers who are working with such
dedication. I know how difficult it is to be away
from your classroom. For more information
on the process or to give input contact the
representative from your site.
As we enter into Fall, I’d like to update
you on some new legislation. This week Governor Brown signed AB 484 launching a major overhaul in school accountability. This bill
significantly reduces state testing but DOES
NOT eliminate it. The following tests will
still be given: CELDT-all grades, CAHSEEgrades 10-12, Fitness Gram-grades 5, 7,
and 9, CAPA (ELA, Math, Science)- grades
2-11, STS- grades 2-11 to students in US
schools less than one cumulative year, Science CST and CMA- grades 5, 8 ,and 10,
Math CST- Algebra II and Summative Math
students, ELA CST-grade 11.
In addition, all students in grades 3-8
and 11 may take the Smarter Balance Assessment although exactly how this will be
done is still unknown. It could be that students will take ELA or Math, or maybe only
certain schools. We will keep you updated as
more information comes forth.
API will be suspended until a Base API
is established in spring 2016. This will be
based on the Smarter Balanced assessment
given in the spring of 2015. At that time subgroups will become numerically significant at
30 for the following groups: ethnicity, SES,
EL, SWD and at 15 for Foster Youth. It’s also
possible that attendance rate, promotion/retention rates, graduation rates, and career
readiness will also become a part of the calculation.
It appears that the District is on schedule to have a new superintendent in place by
November 1. As you know, negotiations and
some of the other work of the association
has been on hold as the search has been
conducted and I look forward to being able
to proceed with grievance and negotiation issues.
page 1
Article 14 of your Collective Bargaining Agreement (Contract)
by Barbara “Bubba” Smith, Executive Director for FTA
The Fontana Unified Teachers Association
(FTA) contract with the School District includes many
policies and procedures that protect our members. Among them is Article 14 and its subsections, which
define Work Year and Workday.
The contract states that a dismissal duty plan must be
equitably allocated among the bargaining unit members, with no member being assigned dismissal duty
more often than alternating weeks, except for the
first two weeks of classes.
Work Year
Article 14.1.1.1 Traditional Schedule
For teachers on a traditional schedule, the work year
is 182 days, of which 180 days are allocated to teaching.
Article 14.6.3.1 (1) i and ii Before School Duty
Elementary
Morning duty may not be more than ten minutes in
duration, no more than one week at a time, and no
more often than every other week.
Article 14.1.1.3 Teachers on assignment
The work year for teachers on assignment is 192
days.
Article 14.2.5.6 Elementary Evening Events
No more than two evening events during the school
year and no events more than 60 minutes long. These events may include, but are not limited to,
Back to School Night and Open House. Article 14.1.1.4 FTA members in their first
year of employment
Bargaining unit members in their first year of working
for the District have a work year one day longer than
the above sections.
Workday
Article 14.2.3 Workday begins
Members of the bargaining unit must be at their work/
school site 30 minutes before the beginning of the instructional day. This is a requirement of the California
Education Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 5570.
Article 14.2.3.1 Dismissal time/Elementary
Members assigned to elementary school sites may
leave upon the dismissal of students at that site except when they have after school duty.
Article 14.2.3.2 Dismissal time/Secondary
Members teaching at secondary schools may leave after completing six consecutive periods at their school
sites.
Articles 14.2.4 through 14.2.5.4 Extended Day
There are times when the workday needs to be extended in order to complete essential and professional
duties as identified in the contract. Articles 14.2.4
through 14.2.5.4 describe the types of meetings and
activities that could cause an extended day.
Specific Duties
Article 14.2.5.5 Dismissal Duty
page 2
Article 14.2.5.7 Secondary Evening Events
No more than two evening events during the school
year and no events more than 90 minutes long. These events may include, but are not limited to,
Back to School Night, Open House or Graduation.
Article 14.2.5.10 Minimum Days at the end of
the Trimester or Semester
Where a school site has a minimum day at the end of
the first or second trimester (elementary and middle
school) or at the end of the first semester (high
school) members may leave the site with the dismissal of students provided that their work area is neat
and orderly and they notify the administrative office
that they are leaving.
Article 14.7.2.3 Minimum Days (Wednesdays)
Elementary
Half the available minimum day minutes each month
shall be allocated as follows: Half for District Directed
activities which include but are not limited to: staff
meetings, grade level meetings, staff development,
grade level planning, IEP, SIT, Action plans, required
student assessment reporting and any other meetings
or functions that may be required by the district or
Administration. Except in emergencies, meetings and
activities mandated by the district and school administration shall be confined to district directed time.
The other half of minimum day minutes each month
shall be member directed which may include: class
continued on page 3
Organizing and Political Action Committee
The FTA Organizing and Political Action Committee have come
together this year to form a joint committee.
The Political side of this committee deals with any pending legislation and school board elections. We do not have any school board elections this year and at this time no pending legislation.
Organizing revolves around issues involving the contract and our
members. Our last major issue was rallying together to bring back a comprehensive counseling program. We have also successfully organized for
raises and health care in the past.
So if you are the kind of person who loves to get involved with
specific issues, this may be the committee for you!
If interested please contact the office. 909.829.0940
Some of our
Organizing team
attending the
2013 Organizing
for Power
Conference
Stay in the Loop!
Sign up for FTA email
alerts at
fontanateachers.org
13-14 Rep Council
Meeting Dates
August 14
September 11
October 9
Nov. 13
Dec. 11
January 22
February 12
March 12
April 9
May 14
continued from page 2
preparation, regular student assessment activities, readying the classroom, report
cards and progress reports, or any other activity that is a part of regular classroom duties. Remember the key word here is member directed. If they are telling
you what to do it’s District time.
Article 14.2.6 Lunch Period
Each workday, members shall get an uninterrupted, duty-free lunch period for no
less than 30 minutes. The lunch period shall not include passing periods or any
time when the member has required contact with students.
Miscellaneous Duties
There are many articles in the contract that address extended days because of
inclement weather and miscellaneous workday provisions. These issues are addressed in Articles 14.2.7.1 through 14.3.4.
Instructional Days
There is an array of information in the contract impacting instructional days for
FTA members. The following articles contain important information that should
be reviewed carefully when questions arise over instructional days.
Article 14.4.1 Instructional Day for Secondary Schools
Article 14.4.2 Instructional Day for Elementary Schools
Article 14.14.1.2 Basic Kindergarten Workday
13-14 TGIF
Dates
August 9
September 13
October 11
November 8
December 13
January 17
February 14
March 14
April 11
May 9
page 3
Fontana Teachers Association
Teachers Recognizing Teachers Program
Last month at the September 11th, Rep.
Council meeting we started a program where we
(FTA) would honor our members for their accomplishments in the field of education, their dedication
and commitment for our students and the community of Fontana and their participation in Association advocacy.
The honorees we recognized are:
Ana Díez, a TOA at the district office who
received a tribute for her valuable contribution in
identifying recipients’ of the Seal of Bi-Literacy during the 2012-13 school year.
Jo Shelly, a teacher at Fontana High School
who received her tribute for having been selected
to work at the RIMS/AVID Program at the county
level. We honored her continuous support of students, so they can achieve their goals.
Trent Stillman, a teacher at Beech Elementary School who received his tribute for his valuable
contribution to the improvement of communication
between Fontana Teachers Association and the
Fontana Community, and
Maria Josie Ervin, a teacher at Kaiser High
School who received her tribute for her endless
dedication to the Bilingual Students in Fontana and
her promotion of the first Spanish Spelling Bee in
the Inland Empire.
If you would like to nominate someone, or to
receive more information about this program contact your site Rep or call the FTA office at (909)
829-0940 for the nomination form.
Elementary Director and
Community Outreach Chair,
Trent Sillman receiving his
“TRT” award from FUSD
School Board Member Shannon
O’Brien at the September Rep
Council Meeting.
page 4
Save the Date
Holiday tgif
Fri. Dec. 13 at Fta Office
16850 Seville Ave.
Fontana 92335
Fontana Teachers Association
Teachers Recognizing Teachers Program
We are pleased to announce the honorees
that are being recognized for the month of October:
Maryann Birgham from Wayne Ruble Middle
School is being recognized for spearheading the
Common Core Mathematics training for her colleagues. She goes above and beyond the call of
duty as a teacher, and is always on the lookout to
provide the best for her staff and students.
Patti Hernandez from Hemlock Elementary
school is being recognized for her idea to initiate a
food bank and clothing closet for the less fortunate
families in the Fontana community. When she first
started , she ran this program out of her home and
has since moved it to a church on Slover. Patti and
her husband, Mario, work tirelessly to help the less
fortunate students and families of Fontana meet
their daily needs with clothing and food.
Estella Borerro from Oleander Elementary
School is being recognized for being a role model and for her diligent work with the students of
FUSD. Estella has had a major influence on the
success of the ELL students at her site. She was
an ELL student herself and a graduate of Fontana
High School. Her compassion and commitment to
her students and colleagues is remarkable and she
continues to give back to the Fontana community
now as a teacher.
For more information about this program
contact your site rep or call the FTA office at (909)
829-0940 to obtain a copy of the nomination form.
The Director’s Bookshelf
Negotiation Boot Camp by Ed Brodow
(ISBN # 0-385-51849-8)
By Trent Stillman (Elementary Director)
This month I elected to share a helpful text I read entitled, Negotiation Boot
Camp: How To Resolve Conflict, Satisfy Customers, And Make Better Deals. The
book was written by Ed Brodow, considered one of America’s top negotiation experts. I have always admired our FTA Negotiations Team and wanted to understand some of the elements involved in negotiations. As an Elementary Director,
I hoped the text would also provide some insights on the give and take we find
ourselves in daily.
True to it’s title, the book is divided into twelve weeks, the same length as boot
camp. The book is helpful in allowing the reader to learn what type of negotiation
style they lean towards. Ed Brodow uses many real negotiation experiences from
his life to elaborate on what works and what does not. The author points out we all
are engaged in negotiations daily whether its buying a car, or dealing with a child
who needs to do their homework.
A key skill to negotiations in any situation that Mr. Brodow mentions is the art of listening. He suggests we follow a 70/30 rule when speaking to anyone. A good negotiator, he points out, listens 70% of the
time and never talks more than 30%. Listening, he also points out, needs to be of an active rather than a passive nature. Because issues being negotiated are so vital, it is imperative we are actively listening to the other
party.
The book was helpful in explaining what types of scenarios negotiators strive for. Outcomes to negotiations are covered such as win/lose, and win/win. Sometimes the author explains you win by just walking away
from a negotiation.
Finally the book brings readers toward the intense benefit of preparing in advance of the negotiation. A
negotiator should role play and envision the approach the other team will advance. Anticipating the strategy
of the other team helps with staying calm and maintaining an independent course. In the end, it’s a book I
would suggest membership reads if you’ve ever wondered about the art of negotiation.
NEA RA UPDATE
by Nancy Hofrock
I have had the privilege of representing Fontana
Teachers at the NEA Representative Assembly for
several years. In 2012, I stepped up my advocacy
as I submitted my first new business item and was
elected as the Chair of the NEA English Language
Learner Caucus. Caucuses work during the RA and
though out the year to promote items of interest for
their caucus membership. The NEA ELL caucus
advocates for English Language Learners and their
teachers within the NEA. In 2012, NBI 50 called for
NEA to work with partner organizations to highcontinued on page 8
page 5
Human Rights Committee
By, Lynnette Monk Dezan
A focus of the Human Rights Committee this year is to bring more awareness to issues that
GLBT members and students struggle through, survive, live, function, and deal with on a daily basis.
We will be partnering with neighboring teachers associations to promote activities and trainings, as
well as holding trainings at the FTA office.
The first visual arts and essay contest of the year is the Hispanic Heritage Month Contest. As
technology imbeds itself further into daily life, we felt it was important to make technology an option
for student entries. Students interested in submitting an entry in media presentation format are encouraged to do so. However, the entry cannot be used for the César Chavez Awards Program.
Contest entries are due by Monday, October 28, 2013 by 4:00 p.m. at the FTA Office and
the Awards Ceremony will be on Tuesday, November 19th from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. for members,
students and their families. More detailed information has been sent to the sites and can be accessed
on the FTA web site.
Anyone interested in participating in the Human Rights Committee please join us at our next
meeting, Tuesday, October 15th at 3:45 p.m. at the FTA office.
Grant and Scholarship Opportunities
www.cta.org/scholarships & www.nea.org/grants
CTA offers a number of grant and scholarship opportunities for members. Just log into cta.org
to create an account and get started.
CTA Scholarship for Members – Up to five (5) - $3,000 scholarships (approx. 75-100 applicant annually)
Available to members for credential, degree or graduate programs
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarship for active CTA members, their dependents or an act
ive member of Student CTA (SCTA) Must be pursuing a teaching related career in public edu
cation and be a member of a defined ethnic minority group.
GLBT “Guy DeRosa” Safety in Schools Grant and Scholarship Program
Grant: supports projects and presentations that promote understanding and respect of GLBT persons
Available to students or CTA members who implement a GLBT project and/or presentations at a public school for students and/or employees
Gay Straight Alliance (GSA)
GSA’s will be eligible for project activities and/or presentations that promote a safe public school environment for all GLBT persons seed money to establish a GSA
Scholarship Program – will support members enrolled in a teacher/counseling credential or graduate program that are pursuing a career in public education and who understand the importance of
GLBT educators as role models in our public schools. Go to website for criteria specifics.
page 6
Not Quite Burned Out, But Crispy
Around The Edges!
Is this how you are feeling lately?
Then these sessions are for you!
Fontana Teachers Association is presenting a
series of workshops to help you rejuvenate
and feel good about getting up in the morning.
For more information or to reserve your spot,
call the FTA office at 909.829.0940
Rep Council Training on September 25, 2013
at the FTA Office.
Dates of sessions:
All sessions will
be 10am-4pm
October 26, 2013
November 16, 2013
March 8, 2014
April 12, 2014
January 11, 2014
May 3, 2014
February 8, 2014
June 7, 2014
Barbara “Bubba” Smith leading the Rep Training at the
FTA Office on September 25, 2013.
Community Outreach Chair, Trent Stillman and Organizing
Team Member, Hassan Yahya at the Annual Fontana Safety Fair.
page 7
continued from page 5
light best practices for
working with Long
Term English Learners.
Long Term English
Learners are students
who have been in
English Language Development programs
for six or more years
and have not reached
the reclassification
criteria. NEA is in the
final stages of editing
to bring forth these
promising practices.
Laurie Olsen is the lead
author on the project.
She is an expert who
coined the term, “Long
Term English Learner.”
Many of Fontana students are Long Term
English Learners and
require specially designed programs to
enable them to move to
English Proficiency.
During the 2013
NEA RA, the NEA
ELL Caucus and the
NEA Hispanic Caucus worked together
to pass three New
Business Items. NBI
17 called for NEA to
inform membership
through existing communication channels
about the NEA Common Core Standards
Toolkit and its use to
ensure that the needs
of English Language
Learners and students
page 8
with special needs are
met as the Common
Core State Standards are
implemented. The Toolkit can be viewed at nea.
org. NBI 18 called for
the development of an
NEA Policy Statement on
English Language Learners. NEA is still pulling
together staff and stakeholders to complete this
work. The policy will be
brought back to the 2014
NEA RA. The third
business item, NBI 19,
directed NEA to develop
a trainer of trainers program to prepare teachers
to present the NEA English Language Learner
Advocacy Toolkit to our
membership. NEA is
completing the toolkit
and will call for applications to be trainers in
the near future.
FTA Social Events
TGIF at Pancho Villa’s
Important
FTA Email
Addresses
Sue Felt
ftapres@
fontanateachers.org
Nancy Hofrock
ftavp@
fontanateachers.org
Grievance Team
grievance@
fontanateachers.org
Negotiations Team
negotiations@
fontanateachers.org
Nathalie
nalvarez@
fontanateachers.org
Mandy
10/12/13 3:00pm to 5:00pm
apeters@
fontanateachers.org
Disneyland Tickets
Barbara “Bubba” Smith
[email protected]
1 Day 1 Park
$88.25 Adult (ages 10 and up)
$82.50 Kids (ages 3 - 9)
1 Day Park Hopper
$125.00 Adult (ages 10 and up)
$109.00 Kids (ages 3 - 9)
No Block Out Days
Tickets Expire December 31, 2014
Cash Only
(prices subject to change)
AMC & Regal
Movie Tickets
$8.00
No Restrictions
Extra Charge for 3D
Cash Only
FTA Office
ftaoffice@
fontanateachers.org
Fontana
Teachers
Assocation
16850 Seville Ave
Fontana, CA 92335
909.829.0940
fax 909.829.0466
ftaoffice@
fontanateachers.org